Poetic Forms: Paradelle

Hello Beautiful Thinkers,

The Paradelle was originally introduced by Billy Collins as “one of the more demanding French forms.” Eventually he confessed that he’d actually made up the form himself as a joke. But even though it was originally a joke, Billy Collins is a respected poet. So the form has grown in its own right. The rules are as follows:

The paradelle is a 4-stanza poem.

Each stanza consists of 6 lines.

For the first 3 stanzas, the 1st and 2nd lines should be the same; the 3rd and 4th lines should also be the same; and the 5th and 6th lines should be composed of all the words from the 1st and 3rd lines and only the words from the 1st and 3rd lines.

The final stanza should be composed of all the words in the 5th and 6th lines of the first three stanzas and only the words from the 5th and 6th lines of the first three stanzas.

I know it sounds a bit odd but it produces some interesting results. You can find a few of them online if you’re still unsure.